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Olympus E-5

 
Olympus E-5 front
 
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-3
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Lenses
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59

Olympus E-5 summary

Olympus E-5 is Olympus's Advanced DSLR camera first launched on February of 2011. It comes with a 12 MegaPixel, CMOS Four Thirds sized sensor and has a max resolution of 4032 x 3024.

Olympus released this camera as a way to update the older Olympus E-3 (Read Full Comparison)

The E-5 stands at #48 out of 92 in Advanced DSLR cameras and overall #327 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our database. You should try out our Smart camera search to get camera rankings based on your customized criteria.

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Here is a graph of multiple factors used in the rating system.

Olympus E-5 family

The Olympus E-5 comes with a history of related digital cameras. Down below, you can take a look at all past and current models as well as main specs.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Olympus-E-5 front thumbnailOlympus E-512MPFour Thirds5.0 fps2011
Olympus-E-30 front thumbnailOlympus E-30
E-5 vs E-30
12MPFour Thirds5.0 fps2009
Photography Glossary
Olympus-E-3 front thumbnailOlympus E-3
E-5 vs E-3
10MPFour Thirds5.0 fps2008
Olympus-E-510 front thumbnailOlympus E-510
E-5 vs E-510
10MPFour Thirds3.0 fps2007
Olympus-E-330 front thumbnailOlympus E-330
E-5 vs E-330
7MPFour Thirds3.0 fps2006
Olympus-E-500 front thumbnailOlympus E-500
E-5 vs E-500
8MPFour Thirds3.0 fps2005
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Olympus-E-300 front thumbnailOlympus E-300
E-5 vs E-300
8MPFour Thirds3.0 fps2005
Olympus-E-1 front thumbnailOlympus E-1
E-5 vs E-1
5MPFour Thirds3.0 fps2003

Olympus E-5 Pros and Cons

Below is a shortlist of good and bad points of the Olympus E-5 based on criterias which are generally considered crucial in a camera.

above average minimum ISO (100)
built-in flash
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
builtin Top display
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
focusing manually
fully articulated screen
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
includes face detect autofocus
includes HDMI socket
includes microphone socket
nice clear screen (920 k dots)
nice screen size (3 inch)
screen is selfie friendly
sensor has phase detect autofocus
supports RAW files
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
two card slots
weather proof
does not have headphone socket
does not have Timelapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
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Olympus E-5 Sensor details

The Olympus E-5 features the TruePic V+ processor. The sensor specification on the Olympus E-5 is 17.3mm x 13mm (Four Thirds). The 225 mm² sensor has the ability to capture 4032 x 3024 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. The camera boasts Image Stabilization (Sensor based). Optical stabilization is better than digital stabilization since the latter may lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 12 megapixels and gives a native ISO range of 100 to 6400. RAW photos are saved which means that you have wider margin for error.

The graphic underneath illustrates the E-5's sensor dimensions when compared to other common sizes. The E-5 sensor comes with a crop factor of 2.1 and is highlighted in green.

Olympus E-5 sensor size Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Olympus E-5 dimensions

Olympus E-5 is 1.76 pounds (800 gr or 28.22 oz) and features exterior size of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0"). The weight of typical Advanced DSLR camera is 776 gr and the Olympus E-5 is very much the same in comparison with other rivals.

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Here is a picture of the Olympus E-5 besides a soft drink to help you have a feel for its scale.

Olympus E-5 dimensions scale

The top view under will provide the button layout on the E-5.

Olympus E-5 topview buttons dials

Olympus E-5 Lens specs

The E-5 uses the Micro Four Thirds mount and has 162 lenses that are available. Below is a few of the lenses we have in our database which will fit the E-5.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Panasonic-Lumix-G-14mm-F2.5-ASPH lensPanasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH14mmf/2.5 55g
Panasonic-Leica-DG-Vario-Elmarit-12-60mm-F2.8-4.0-ASPH-Power-OIS lensPanasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS12-60mmf/2.8-4 320g
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Panasonic-Lumix-G-Vario-35-100mm-F4.0-5.6-ASPH-Mega-OIS lensPanasonic Lumix G Vario 35-100mm F4.0-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS35-100mmf/4.0-5.6 135g
Olympus-Zuiko-Digital-ED-150mm-f2.0 lensOlympus Zuiko Digital ED 150mm f2.0150mmf/2.0 1610g
Olympus-M.Zuiko-Digital-ED-12-45mm-F4-Pro lensOlympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4 Pro24-90mmf/4254g
Voigtlander-Nokton-25mm-F0.95-Micro-Four-Thirds lensVoigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.9525mmf/0.95 410g
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Samyang-16mm-f2.0-ED-AS-UMC-CS-Four-Thirds lensSamyang 16mm f2.0 ED AS UMC CS16mmf/2.0 583g
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Olympus E-5 Connectivity

The E-5 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Digital cameras which include NFC or Bluetooth support are able to be used wirelessly via smartphones. You will be able to send photos and oftentimes alter camera settings without connecting physically to the camera.

Certain applications even give a Liveview and hit the shutter when you are not close to the camera. If the camera has a HDMI out, it can easily be attached to an external display. The majority of cameras enable you to charge the battery pack using the USB socket.

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Olympus E-5 Video specs

The max video resolution on the Olympus E-5 is 1280 x 720 and it can shoot in Motion JPEG format. 720p is low by today's standards. You should really strive for at least 1080p resolution for decent video. While the camera features a microphone socket, it is unfortunately missing a headphone socket which means that you won't be able to check your audio levels.

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Olympus E-5 Weather Sealing

Olympus E-5 features weather proofing making it a excellent pick to use for tricky places. This can be particularly handy if you are uncertain about the elements you might face for outdoor photography.

Olympus E-5 Display and Viewfinder

The Olympus E-5 comes with a 3" fully articulated display screen supporting a resolution of 920k dots.

It features a selfie friendly display to get self portraits and group photos if necessary. Unfortunately the display screen is not a touch screen. The E-5 also comes with a Top display so you're able to instantly checkout your settings.

Olympus E-5 screen and viewfinder Photography Glossary

The View Finder specs regarding Olympus E-5 are the following:

  • ViewFinder Optical (pentaprism)
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100 percent
  • ViewFinder Magnification 0.58x

Viewfinders are rather useful for sunny outdoor situations which can easily make the camera display washed out and difficult to view.

Olympus E-5 Shutter specs

Olympus E-5 continuous shooting rate is 5.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/8000s.

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Olympus E-5 Flash and Hot shoe specs

Olympus E-5 boasts both built in flash and external flash support. The highest flash sync is 1/250s.

Olympus E-5 Autofocus specs

Olympus E-5 boasts both Phase Detect Autofocus and Contrast Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more snappier and accurate when compared to Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera comes with Face detect which makes it useful for people photography.

It comes with 11 focus points to choose from. Olympus E-5 features manual focus if required for low light situations or you require more precise focus control.

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Olympus E-5 Battery life

The battery pack (BLM-5) in the Olympus E-5 is designed to last for 870 photos with respect to the CIPA requirements which is similar to its competition. The usual Advanced DSLR camera battery life is 909. Nikon D780 comes with the maximum (2260) battery life for this kind of cameras.

Following is a listing of Advanced DSLR cameras that have the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth
Nikon-D780 front thumbnailNikon D780
E-5 vs D780
2260 yesnoyes
Nikon-D850 front thumbnailNikon D850
E-5 vs D850
1840 yesyesyes
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Nikon-Df front thumbnailNikon Df
E-5 vs Df
1400 yesnono
Canon-EOS-90D front thumbnailCanon 90D
E-5 vs 90D
1300 yesnoyes
Nikon-D500 front thumbnailNikon D500
E-5 vs D500
1240 yesyesyes

Olympus E-5 for specific styles of photography

The following graph gives a outline of the Olympus E-5 for specific styles of photography. To learn more, have a look at the specific section underneath.

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography features

The Olympus E-5 receives a rating of 60 which is decent, meaning that it is fairly appropriate to use for portrait photography. Photographing portrait images favors heavily to sensor specs, RAW support in addition to the potential to utilize off-camera flash.

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you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)

Street photography with Olympus E-5

With a above average score of 71, the Olympus E-5 is a very decent pick to buy for street photography. A very good street photography camera gives a fine balance of image quality plus portability.

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screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proof

Olympus E-5 Sports photography factors

A average sports photography points tally of 59 means the Olympus E-5 is reasonably suited for photographing sports. A camera needs to have great autofocus and shutter speeds for sports photography.

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maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
supports phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)

Olympus E-5 Travel photography highlights

Size is pretty important when picking a camera for travel. In general, the Olympus E-5 gets a modest 56 as a travelling camera which is fairly adequate to purchase for your journeys.

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environment sealing
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12MP)

Olympus E-5 as a Landscape photography camera

If you're looking to pick a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most significant factor is going to be image quality. The Olympus E-5 with it's nice rating of 65 as a landscape camera is a good pick compared to its competitors.

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manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
2 card slots
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording

Vlogging with Olympus E-5

A camera for vlogging preferably should have a articulating screen, microphone port and preferably image stabilization. Considering all things, the Olympus E-5 is a good option as a vlog camera as it receives a very good score of 64.

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screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
has mic port
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)

Olympus E-5 Alternatives

If you are shopping for replacements to the E-5, here is a list of the top placed cameras that fall into the family of Advanced DSLR.

The diagram below provides you a bird's eye view of the E-5 versus it's top ranked rivals listed above.

There are more cameras you may check out as alternate options. To go through a detailed comparison, click the "compare" link.

Photography Glossary

Specifications

General Information
Make
Olympus
Model
Olympus E-5
Category
Advanced DSLR
Revealed
2011-02-03
Physical type
Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Processor Chip
TruePic V+
Sensor size
Four Thirds
Sensor measurements
17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area
224.9mm²
Sensor resolution
12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution
4032 x 3024
RAW photos
Max native ISO
6400
Minimum native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points
11
Cross focus points
11
Lens
Lens mount
Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses
45
Crop factor
2.1
Screen
Display type
Fully Articulated
Display size
3 inch
Display resolution
920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech
HyperCrystal transmissive LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage
100 percent
Viewfinder magnification
0.58x
DXO scores
DXO Overall score
56
DXO Color Depth score
21.6
DXO Dynamic range score
10.5
DXO Low light score
519
Features
Min shutter speed
60 seconds
Max shutter speed
1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate
5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range
18.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash settings
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize
1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions
1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution
1280x720
Video file format
Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
800 grams (1.76 lbs)
Dimensions
143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0")
Other
Battery life
870 pictures
Type of battery
Battery Pack
Battery model
BLM-5
Self timer
Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage
Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots
2
Pricing at release
$1,700